


A Father's Warmth

by PaganKeith



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Other, Trans Will Solace, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:08:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26382400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaganKeith/pseuds/PaganKeith
Summary: Will is a transgender boy and his mother is not accepting, forcing Apollo to personally take Will to Camp Half-Blood himself.
Relationships: Apollo/Naomi Solace, Apollo/Will Solace
Comments: 6
Kudos: 130





	A Father's Warmth

Will never wanted things to end like this.

He stood in shock in the middle of the living room, watching as his mother, who was normally so composed and put together, have a meltdown of epic proportions, her feathered hair shaking to and fro as she ranted, her mascara running as angry tears ran down her face.

Will couldn't stand to see her this way and instead turned to the man standing beside him with a heavy, but comforting, hand on his shoulder.

"You're being ridiculous, Naomi," Apollo said, his voice uncharacteristically strained.

"It's unnatural!" Naomi snapped, pointing her shaking finger at Will.

Apollo merely shook his head before looking down at his son.

"Pack your bags," he told Will, attempting to flash him a reassuring smile but only succeeding in producing a tense grimace. "I'll take you to Chiron myself."

Will nodded, relieved for a chance to escape.

Upstairs, he could hear the fight continue, but he could only catch snippets of what was being said. At one point, his mother screeched the word "FREAK" and Will felt as if he had been shot.

He stuffed everything he could find into his bag, not really caring if it was necessary or not. He just wanted out of that house and being sent to Chiron, a man Apollo had spoken of with great respect, sounded better than staying here.

"THAT'S NOT OUR SON!" Naomi screamed and Will felt hot tears appear, burning the edges of his eyes. "THAT'S OUR DAUGHTER!"

*

The ride to Camp Half-Blood was uneventful for the most part—no monsters or creeping shadows, no disorienting visions. All there was was Will, Apollo, and the pavement beneath them as Apollo drove them out of Texas and into Oklahoma, bound for the long trip up north.

"It's going to get colder as we go," Apollo said after a while. "I've got a more durable coat for you in the back."

"Thanks, Dad," Will mumbled, before looking at his father wearing nothing but a tank top and shorts. "Don't you need one too?"

"Will, I'm literally the sun, I'll be fine," Apollo snorted, smiling.

He looked over at Will, who merely smiled slightly and turned his moody gaze out of the window, long curly blonde hair hiding part of his face.

Apollo suddenly turned on the turn signal, the light from the blinker lighting up the dark road ahead of them.

"How do you feel about a haircut?" Apollo asked, grinning when Will turned to gaze at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

Apollo checked them into a rundown motel on the edge of some town Will had never heard of before. He seated Will on the edge of the bed before considering him thoughtfully.

"I've never cut one of my kids' hair before," Apollo admitted.

"Are you nervous?" Will asked.

"Me? Never," Apollo bluffed, though his hands shook as he cut off Will's long locks, slowly calming as more and more collected on the floor.

After an hour and a half, Apollo stepped back, appeased.

"Hey, not bad," Apollo said, throwing the scissors in the air and catching them. "I can actually see your face now."

"Dad!" Will rolled his eyes, but he was smiling widely.

"This style looks good on you," Apollo continued, procuring a mirror from seemingly nowhere. "What do you think?"

Will was in awe as he looked at himself in the mirror. He had never had short hair before and now he could see the sharper curve of his jaw.

"I love it," Will whispered, on the verge of tears again.

Apollo knelt in front of his son.

"I could do more for you, you know," Apollo told him urgently. "I can help you transition now."

"Like instantly?" Will asked, his heart leaping for a half a moment before his mom's face reappeared in his mind.

"C-can you help me do it more naturally?" Will asked. "I-I want to give Mom time. I'm scared she won't recognize me if it's instant."

The same strained look Apollo had worn in the living room reappeared on his face, in spite of his nod.

He grabbed Will's wrist gently.

"What I can do, if you want to give your mom time," Apollo said, "is basically give you a more masculine puberty, so when you do hit that, you'll slowly become the man you are over a stretch of years. It'll make your voice drop, all that jazz. Does that sound better?"

Will nodded, pursing his lips as his dad murmured something and his wrist glowed a golden honey before gently fading away.

"I can give you one more thing," Apollo said. "I can deepen your voice a bit. When we get to Camp Half-Blood, everyone will know you're a boy and you won't have any issues from them. Would you like that?"

Will nodded eagerly and Apollo tapped his throat gently with one finger. An odd, blooming warmth appeared there before it faded away.

"Say something," Apollo said, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Thank you," Will said, before clapping his hands over his mouth in surprise at the deeper tone.

Will felt the sob build up in his chest first and quickly, he found himself sobbing leaning forward to hug Apollo, who seemed quite surprised as Will chanted his thanks into his shoulder.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Apollo said soothingly, rubbing Will's back. 

Will didn't know how long they held each other like that before they broke apart, Apollo quietly murmuring that Will should probably get some sleep before they set out in the morning.

"We might take the sun chariot tomorrow," Apollo told him. "I have no desire to drive in St. Louis traffic."

*

"We're going to die," Will murmured with his eyes squeezed shut, unhappily aware that they were thousands of feet in the air.

"Well sure, with that attitude," Apollo teased.

"Dad!"

They sailed over several states with ease before finally touching down just outside Camp Half-Blood, which was hidden in a forested area.

Will peeked over the edge of the sun chariot.

"Is it over?"

"Kids these days," Apollo laughed. "Yes, it's over. We're almost there. We just have to continue on foot, for some godsforsaken reason. Come on, you look like you like hiking."

They trudged into the woods, talking amicably, Apollo every now and then reminding Will not to out himself if possible.

"I can't speak for the other cabins," Apollo explained. "But every child of mine and Chiron will accept you and will keep your secret."

Will nodded.

Chiron, it turned out, was not a man as Will had assumed, but a centaur who looked rather amused to see Apollo.

"Ah, old friend," Chiron smiled. "What brings you to Camp Half-Blood?"

"I've come to drop off an exemplary new camper," Apollo bragged, standing behind Will with both of his hands on his shoulders. "He's mine, of course."

"Of course," Chiron's tail flicked. "I'll go ahead and get him settled."

"Excellent!" Apollo beamed. "I better go move the sun chariot before it burns a hole in the road."

Chiron nodded and watched fondly as Will hugged Apollo goodbye.

"Thanks for getting me out of there, Dad," Will sniffed.

"You're welcome," Apollo said, squeezing him tightly before he left.


End file.
